Label patch for garments

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a protective patch for smoothly covering labels in existing garments. The patch includes a flexible member formed of cotton flannel, and an adhesive material on the flexible member. The adhesive material forms a first adhesive that extends within a ring-shaped region proximate an edge margin of the flexible member, the first adhesive being releasable from the garment for exposing the label. A marginal portion of the flexible member is folded against a facing portion of the flexible member for forming a double thickness of the flexible member with the edge margin being spaced inwardly from an outer perimeter of the patch. A second adhesive secures the marginal portion to the facing portion, the marginal portion having a corner width at locations of minimum radius of the outer perimeter, the corner width being less than half of the minimum radius for limiting projections of the perimeter margin away from the facing flexible material. An outer perimeter of the patch has a minimum radius of not less than approximately 0.1 inch for avoiding high-pressure local contact of the patch against a wearer of the garment.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to garments, and more particularly togarments having sewn-in labels therein.

Many wearers of garments having sewn-in labels experience itching andother discomfort resulting from direct skin contact or indirect contactthrough thin undergarments. Sources of particular discomfort are labelsthat are made from relatively stiff material that is folded over andsewn into a seam of the garment. Another type of label is rectangular,having parallel seams at opposite ends, the end edge margins beingfolded under and sewn. This type of label is also irritating in that thefolds at the corners of the label can protrude and cut into the skin.Many of such labels are found in collar seams of shirts and jackets, thelabels making particularly irritating contact with the wearer's neck.This problem is especially acute for those having tender skin,especially infants and small children.

In these circumstances, many resort to cutting or tearing the labelsfrom the garments. Unfortunately, the information of the label is lostfrom association with the garment upon removal of the label. The remnantor stump that remains when the label is cut can also be a source ofirritation, and the garment is likely to be seriously damaged by tearingout the label. Moreover, tearing out a label can leave an unsightlyremnant or stump of indefinite size that can remain as a source ofirritation.

Thus there is a need for a system for alleviating the discomfort andirritation caused by labels that are sewn-in garments.

SUMMARY

The present invention meets this need by providing a non-irritatingpatch for smoothly covering labels in existing garments. In one aspectof the invention, the patch includes a flexible member and a ring-shapedadhesive member formed on the flexible member for affixing the patchonto the garment, the adhesive member extending only within a perimeterregion of the flexible member for maintaining flexibility of thegarment. Preferably a marginal portion of the flexible member is foldedagainst a facing portion of the flexible member for forming a doublethickness of the flexible member with the edge margin being spacedinwardly from an outer perimeter of the patch, a second adhesivesecuring the marginal portion to the facing portion.

Preferably the first adhesive is releasable from the garment forexposing the label. The first adhesive is preferably spaced from atleast a portion of the outer perimeter for forming a tab portion of thepatch, the tab portion facilitating removal of the patch. The firstadhesive can be spaced from approximately 0.05 to approximately 0.10inch from the outer perimeter.

Preferably the first adhesive is reusable for permitting replacement ofthe patch following exposure of the label. A single material can formthe first adhesive and the second adhesive. The first adhesive canextend inwardly on the flexible material away from the marginal portion.

The marginal portion can have a corner width at locations of minimumradius of the outer perimeter, the corner width being less than half ofthe minimum radius for limiting projections of the perimeter margin awayfrom the facing flexible material. The corner width can be less thanapproximately 10 percent of the minimum radius.

An outer perimeter of the patch can have a minimum radius that is lessthan approximately 0.1 inch for avoiding high-pressure local contact ofthe patch against a wearer of the garment. The minimum radius can be notless than approximately 0.2 inch. The outer perimeter can be generallyrectangular. A portion of the outer perimeter can be semicircular. Theflexible material can include cotton flannel.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdescription, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a labeled garment portion having aprotective patch affixed thereto according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is rear elevational view of the patch of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detail sectional view of the patch of FIG. 1 on line 3--3 inFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a detail elevational view of the patch of FIG. 1 within region4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view as in FIG. 2, showing an alternativeconfiguration of the patch of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view showing another alternativeconfiguration of the patch of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the patch of FIG. 1 applied to adifferently labeled garment.

DESCRIPTION

The present invention is directed to a protective patch for protecting awearer of garments from harmful contact with labels of the garments.With reference to FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings, a garment 10 having aninside label 12 is provided with a protective patch 20 according to thepresent invention. The patch 20 includes a flexible member 22 havingsuitable first adhesive 24 applied in a ring-shaped pattern proximate amarginal edge 25 thereof for affixing the patch 20 to the garment 10with the label 12 being completely covered by the patch 20. Preferablythe adhesive 24 surrounds the label 12 without contacting same forpreventing loss of flexibility of the combination of the garment 10 andthe patch 20 that would otherwise result from multiple layers of thecombination being stiffly laminated by the first adhesive 24.

In an exemplary and preferred configuration of the invention, the patch20 has a rounded rectangular shape of length A, width B, and cornerradius R. A marginal portion 26 of the flexible member 22 is foldedover, extending a distance C from a perimeter extremity 28 of the patch20 for avoiding exposure of the wearer to raw edges of the edgeextremity 28. Preferably the marginal portion 26 is secured in place bya suitable second adhesive 30. As shown most clearly in FIG. 4, themarginal portion 26 is gathered proximate corners 32 of the patch 20 asindicated at 34 for avoiding bulkiness of the patch 20 at the corners32. Preferably the distance C is at least approximately 0.05 inch forfacilitating formation and adhesion of the marginal portion 26, and notmore than approximately 0.1 inch for avoiding unnecessary puckering ofthe edge margin 26 in regions of minimum perimeter radius of the patch20, and for avoiding unnecessary stiffness of the patch 20 along theperimeter extremity 28. For example, the corner radius R is preferablynot less than approximately 0.1 inch for avoiding concentrations ofpressure against a wearer of the garment 10, the distance C beingapproximately 0.05 inch within regions the minimum corner radius. Morepreferably, the radius R is not less than approximately 0.2 inch, thedistance C ranging between 0.05 and 0.1 inch.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first adhesive 24 is applied over an annularwidth D, extending to a distance E from the perimeter extremity 28. Thefirst adhesive 24 is preferably non-permanent, the distance E providinga convenient small marginal tab portion of the patch 20 for facilitatingremoval of the patch 20 during laundering of the garment 10 or when itis desired to inspect the label 12. Suitably, the distance E can be fromapproximately 0.05 inch to approximately 0.1 inch for permittinggrasping while maintaining structural integrity of the connectionbetween the patch 20 and the garment 10.

A preferred material for the first adhesive 24 is also reusable, beingavailable in glue stick form as Catalog 6307 from 3M Consumer StationeryDivision of St. Paul, Minn. Preferably, and as shown in FIG. 3, thepatch 20 is provided with a conventional peelable backing 36 forprotecting the first adhesive 24.

Suitable materials for the flexible member 22 include soft, flexiblewoven fabrics and flexible plastic sheet having a thickness betweenapproximately 0.001 inch and approximately 0.015 inch. A particularlypreferred material for the flexible member 22 is soft cotton flannel.The Catalog 6307 adhesive or an equivalent thereof can also be used forthe second adhesive 30. Preferably, however, the second adhesive 30 isstronger than the first adhesive 24 for holding the marginal portion 26flatly folded during removal of the patch 20. Thus a preferred materialfor the second adhesive 30 is Dennison Glue Stick, available fromDennison Mfg. Co. of Framingham, Mass.

With further reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the patch 20 can be made in avariety of shapes, including oval as shown in FIG. 5, and round as shownin FIG. 6, for forming protective coatings on rivets, snaps and thelike, and/or decorative coatings. Further, and as shown in FIG. 5, thefirst adhesive 24 can extend inwardly from the marginal portion 26, thesecond adhesive 30 being of the same material and extending outwardlyfrom the first adhesive 24, thereby facilitating fabrication of thepatch 20 by permitting a single application of adhesive for forming thefirst adhesive 24 and the second adhesive 30.

In the configurations of the patch 20 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, theperimeter extremity 28 is semicircularly (or circularly) curved, so thatthe distance C is very small as compared with the radius R, being lessthan approximately 0.1 R so that there is substantially no puckering ofthe marginal portion 26.

With further reference to FIG. 7, the patch 20 can be used forprotecting against itching and discomfort from a label 14 having a loopconfiguration that extends from a seam 16 of the garment 10, the patch20 extending on opposite sides of the seam 16.

Although the present invention has been described in considerable detailwith reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions arepossible. For example, The patch 20 can be generally triangular or anyother geometric shape. Also, the dimension E can be equal to or greaterthan the dimension C. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims should not necessarily be limited to the description of thepreferred versions contained herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A protective patch for smoothly covering a labelin an existing garment, the patch comprising:(a) a flexible memberhaving a perimeter edge margin, entire perimeter edge marginal region ofthe flexible member being folded against a facing portion of theflexible member for forming a double thickness of the flexible memberwith the edge margin being spaced inwardly from an outer perimeterextremity of the patch; and (b) an adhesive material on the flexiblemember, the adhesive material forming a first adhesive on the flexiblemember within a ring-shaped region of the patch for affixing to thegarment with the first adhesive surrounding but not contacting thelabel, an outer perimeter of the ring-shaped region extending proximatethe perimeter extremity, a second adhesive securing only the marginalregion to the facing portion, the marginal region having a corner widthat locations of minimum radius of the outer perimeter extremity, thecorner width being less than half of the minimum radius for limitingprojections of the perimeter margin away from the facing flexiblematerial, the minimum radius being not less than approximately 0.1 inchfor avoiding high-pressure local contact of the patch against a wearerof the garment.
 2. The patch of claim 1, wherein the first adhesive isreleasable from the garment for exposing the label.
 3. The patch ofclaim 2, wherein the first adhesive is spaced from at least a portion ofthe outer perimeter extremity for forming a tab portion of the patch,the tab portion facilitating removal of the patch.
 4. The patch of claim3, wherein the first adhesive is spaced from approximately 0.05 toapproximately 0.10 inch from the outer perimeter extremity.
 5. The patchof claim 2, wherein the first adhesive is reusable for permitting reuseof the patch following exposure of the label.
 6. The patch of claim 2,wherein a single material forms the first adhesive and the secondadhesive.
 7. The patch of claim 7, wherein the first adhesive extendsinwardly on the flexible material away from the marginal portion.
 8. Thepatch of claim 1, wherein the corner width is less than approximately 10percent of the minimum radius.
 9. The patch of claim 1, wherein theminimum radius is not less than approximately 0.2 inch.
 10. The patch ofclaim 1, wherein the outer perimeter extremity is generally rectangular.11. The patch of claim 1, wherein a portion of the outer perimeterextremity is semicircular.
 12. A protective patch for smoothly coveringa label in an existing garment, the patch comprising:(a) a flexiblemember formed of cotton flannel; and (b) an adhesive material on theflexible member, the adhesive material forming a first adhesive on theflexible member within a ring-shaped region of the patch for affixing tothe garment with the first adhesive surrounding but not contacting thelabel, the ring-shaped region extending to proximate an outer perimeterextremity of the patch, the first adhesive being releasable from thegarment for exposing the label, an entire perimeter marginal portion ofthe flexible member being folded against a facing portion of theflexible member for forming a double thickness of the flexible memberwith the edge margin being spaced inwardly from the outer perimeterextremity, a second adhesive securing only the marginal region to thefacing portion, the marginal region having a corner width at locationsof minimum radius of the outer perimeter extremity, the corner widthbeing less than half of the minimum radius for limiting projections ofthe perimeter margin away from the facing flexible material, the minimumradius being not less than approximately 0.1 inch for avoidinghigh-pressure local contact of the patch against a wearer of thegarment.
 13. The patch of claim 12, wherein the first adhesive is spacedfrom at least a portion of the outer perimeter extremity for forming atab portion of the patch, the tab portion facilitating removal of thepatch.
 14. The patch of claim 13, wherein the first adhesive is spacedfrom approximately 0.05 to approximately 0.10 inch from the outerperimeter extremity.
 15. The patch of claim 12, wherein the firstadhesive is reusable for permitting reuse of the patch followingexposure of the label.
 16. The patch of claim 12, wherein the minimumradius is not less than approximately 0.2 inch.
 17. The patch of claim12, wherein the outer perimeter extremity is generally rectangular. 18.The patch of claim 12, wherein a portion of the outer perimeterextremity is semicircular.